Archive By Section - Letters to the Editor

Proposition 47 is the one proposition on the ballot for which the Roman Catholic Bishops of California have taken a position of support. "The California Safe Neighborhoods Act" is a step forward in reforming the broken criminal justice system in our state. It will provide educational support and treat mental illness to make our communities safer while addressing sentencing discrepancies in constructive ways.

Gary Soiseth recently volunteered to spend a day speaking with high school students about his experiences in Afghanistan and his commitment to public service. After hearing him speak, I felt that any community would be fortunate to have him as a leader. He is intelligent, well-spoken, and most importantly, he is passionate. As a teacher, I value his desire to help the youth of tomorrow discover their potential, and I applaud his efforts to help them achieve their goals. Gary's ability to connect with the youth of today will help foster the generation of tomorrow.

Turlock is a community on the move, growing jobs, attracting new economic development and emerging as one of the best places to live and work in the Central Valley. At the core of this success is the recognition that confronting our community's challenges and capitalizing on new opportunities requires a team effort to mobilize our community's assets and the active cooperation of business, civic and political leaders around core objectives. This is why the leadership choices Turlock voters make in November are so important. This is why, after conducting extensive interviews with all the candidates, the Turlock Chamber ...

October 23, 2014|
Andrew Wigglesworth
Chairman of the Board, Turlock Chamber of Commerce
|Letters to the Editor

Bill DeHart has brought common sense and cooperative leadership to the Turlock City Council. He is committed to long term solutions regarding drinking and waste water needs of the public and industry, the condition of neighborhood and community roadways, and appropriate staffing of our public safety departments - all within the framework of fiscal responsibility and sustainable growth.

Turlock has been blessed with many dedicated and talented elected leaders throughout the city's history. Turlock is recognized as a special place to live in large part because of the policies of the past that have shaped the present. To insure a bright and prosperous future Turlock must have a mayor with vision and the strength to make many difficult and informed decisions. On Nov. 4 Turlock voters will consider two very well qualified men seeking this important position.

I have attended every Turlock City Council meeting since April of this year. I was very impressed at the way the Council worked together to formulate Measure B. They have come up with a measure that will benefit every citizen in Turlock. Measure B money can only be used to repair existing roads in Turlock. The measure established a citizens' oversight committee to see that the funds go to fix Turlock roads.

Jan and I initially reached out to Gary Soiseth in his first years as a USDA Senior Agriculture Advisor embedded with the United States Army in Afghanistan. We followed his accomplishments throughout his service from 2009 to 2013, and we were thrilled to see that he chose to bring his skills and experience back to his home community.

As we come together to elect a new mayor, we are-in my opinion-at a crossroads. It seems that major issues have not been addressed and difficult decisions have been delayed; there really is no more time to waste. I certainly did not accomplish everything I hoped for in my time as mayor but I do know now that solving all of these issues will take an energetic, organized, and passionate leader who sees this job as a goal and not a hobby. I have been fortunate enough to work with both mayoral candidates throughout the years and while ...

Gary Soiseth's campaign for mayor of Turlock has sought to bring the most important issues facing Turlock to the forefront. He has focused on water reliability, deficit spending, and bringing transparency to issues at City Hall. His focus on the issues, rather than who else was running, singles him out as a focused, convicted, and visionary leader.

Our family contracted with Supherb Farms to grow basil for several years. One finds when in business there are always challenges to face in an ever-changing environment and growing basil was no exception. The one constant I found through my experience with Supherb Farms was my high regard for the folks of whom I had the opportunity to meet. Each one projected competence, helpfulness, problem-solving ability, work ethic, confidence and quiet humility. When I look back on those days and the great people of Supherb Farms, I see now that they were a reflection of their leader and CEO, Mike ...